


A rose by any other name

by obfuscatedheart



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Canon Compliant, Getting Together, Hanahaki Disease, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, M/M, Murder Husbands, POV Alternating, Rimming, Surprise Puppy, Will Graham Loves Hannibal Lecter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:21:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25588189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obfuscatedheart/pseuds/obfuscatedheart
Summary: When Will is imprisoned he begins coughing up flowers, it is evident that he is suffering from Hanahaki disease, he has an unrequited love that he has no idea about. Everyone is sure that the reason he has been killing people is to eat them to assuage his symptoms. Hannibal is fascinated and is desperate to get Will out of prison to feed him again to save his life, and to find out who Will is in love with.
Relationships: (brief) Bedelia Du Maurier/Hannibal Lecter, (brief) Molly Graham/Will Graham, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 26
Kudos: 328
Collections: Hannigram_Reverse_Bang_2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by [ this](https://twitter.com/shatouto/status/1288422591808643072) amazing art by [Shatou](https://twitter.com/shatouto)The art can be found [here](https://twitter.com/shatouto/status/1288422591808643072).
> 
> This was beta read by TempestandTeacup who you can find [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TempestandTeacup).

It starts two days into his stay at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. He is sitting in his cell alone. After he has eaten his evening meal his stomach recoils and he vomits. There nestled between the remnants of his undigested meal is a petal.

A single red petal is in stark contrast to the grey sludge that was his meal. A guard approaches his cell, and he is cuffed. The guard cleans up the mess, carefully takes out the petal and bags it separately.

Once he finishes he takes the cuffs off of Will and leaves him be. His stomach is growling, empty with hunger.

Minutes later he hears the familiar footsteps of Chilton. The footsteps stop outside his cell.

“Well, well. Feeling forsaken,Will?” Chilton says.

“I’m sorry?”

“You vomited up an anemone petal. Is someone in love with someone who has left you?”

Will considers this; he had heard of cases like this before.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand, Frederick.”

“It’s Dr Chilton.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand,  _ Dr.  _ Chilton.”

Chilton smiles in a way that makes Will’s skin crawl.

“We shall see. Although it looks like the diet you made for yourself was able to assuage some symptoms.” Chilton considers him. “Is that why you ate them?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Oh, you will.”

Chilton leaves and Will tries to think back on the cases he had read.

***

Chilton is nothing short of delighted the next time he is at Hannibal’s dinner table; he had made something that Chilton could tolerate. Gideon had completely destroyed his ability to eat most foods.

“How is your patient?” Hannibal asks as he sits down.

“Oh, Hannibal, you know that I can’t divulge anything. Doctor-patient confidentiality.”

Hannibal inclines his head. “Of course.”

Chilton considers the plate. “Tell me, what have you heard of Hanahaki disease?”

“It’s rare. I think in all my time as a doctor I only ever witnessed one case.”

“I think we have a case in our mutual patient.”

Hannibal only nods slightly. He can feel his heart begin to beat faster; it is unusual for him to feel an uptick in his heart rate. But Will proves to be an exception in so many ways.

Chilton continues, “he vomited after having been given his meal. A single anemone petal.”

Hannibal considers this. Somehow Will feels forsaken. His mind is racing; it is an unusual disease, and Hannibal is sure that the diet he had been feeding Will was assuaging the symptoms. 

“Have you considered surgery?”

“We may, but it is the first time I have seen the disease so I would want to see its progression for a little while longer.”

Something in Hannibal is horrified at the prospect, although he can see the merit of Chilton’s scientific endeavour; he had after all let encephalitis go untreated in Will. A plan begins to formulate in his head.

“Scientific study should be the basis for all our targets.”

“I’m happy to hear you agree.” Chilton says as he raises his glass, “to scientific studies.”

Hannibal echos the toast before he begins eating. He knows that Will will likely die inside BSHCI under Chilton’s care, or lack thereof. Quite simply he knows that he has to get Will back on the outside. 

After the dinner has ended, Hannibal leads Chilton outside, and he returns to the kitchen. Whilst he washes up the dishes he considers who his target should be. The trial is due to begin soon, and the Judge might be the ideal candidate.

He remembers how the Judge had spoken to Will during the indictment hearing; he had been dismissive and callous.

Hannibal smiles to himself as he begins to find a way to make the Judge pay whilst also freeing Will.

He decides that he will go see Will in prison as he wants to see the disease up close and personal.

***

Will is in his cell, as all days are spent now. Memories are beginning to resurface. He coughs again and something lodges in his throat. He spits it out into his hand. This time there is only a single purple flower. He doesn’t know what kind of flower it is.

He hears footsteps and he recognises them. He looks up when they stop outside his cell. Will watches the man carefully.

“Hello, Will” Hannibal says after a beat.

“Dr. Lecter.”

Hannibal looks at his hand. “May I see?”

Will watches Hannibal for long moments before he gently unfurls his hand to hold up the petal for Hannibal to see.

“A purple carnation.” Hannibal pauses “It suits you.”

“How so?” His voice is hoarse when he speaks; his throat is still sore.

“In the Japanese art of hanakotoba, a purple carnation is supposed to represent capriciousness. And Will, you most certainly are capricious.”

“What is happening to me?” For the first time he feels afraid.

“It would appear that you have Hanahaki disease.”

“I’ve heard about it before, but I can’t remember details.”

Hannibal begins to pace slowly outside his cell. “Hanahaki disease is a rare disease that only occurs in very few patients worldwide.”

“How many?”

“Perhaps 20 cases in recent memory.”

“What causes it?” Will is desperate for the answer.

“Love. Or rather unrequited love.” Hannibal turns to face Will. “Tell me Will, are you in love?”

Will can’t help but laugh. “You know that that isn’t the case.”

“So it’s unconscious. Your body knows it while you do not.”

Will sighs and sits back down on his cot. “Have all the patients died?”

“Not all. If the love is requited then the disease disappears. After all, there is no need for it any longer.”

“And for those that aren’t?”

Hannibal pauses; he seems unsure. Something that Will is sure he has only seen a handful of times.

“Some choose to let the disease progress until their airways are completely filled with roots. Quite simply, the flowers suffocate them.”

“And the others?”

“Surgery is an option; they would cut and cauterise the source out.”

“You make it sound like there is a price.” Will says after a moment.

“It cuts out love. All types of it.” Hannibal genuinely looks upset. “And what is life without love?”

Will scoffs. “You said surgery was one option.”

“Will, I don’t know what the other options are. I’ve only heard the options are dark.”

“Something makes me think that they involve some sort of death.”

“It is possible. After all, if the object of your affection is no longer there, there is nothing to be unrequited.”

Will rubs at his head, the flower stuck to his palm.

“Chilton will want to operate.”

“He has insinuated as such.”

Will laughs, “of course he has spoken to you about me.” 

“We have a mutual interest.”

Will stands and approaches the bars of his cell. “Is that what you call this?”

“I have only ever wanted what is best for you, Will.”

“You know, I used to hear my thoughts inside my skull with the same tone, timbre and accent as if the words were coming out of my mouth.”

Hannibal is curious; Will can see it. “And now?”

“Now my inner voice sounds like you. I can’t get you out of my head.”

“Friendship can sometimes involve a breach of individual separateness.”

“A blurring of self and friend.”

“Yes.”

“You’re not my friend. The light from friendship won’t reach us for a million years. That’s how far away from friendship we are.”

“I imagine it’s easier to believe I am responsible for those murders than it is to accept that you are.”

“Sure is.”

“Your inner voice can provide a method of taking control of your behavior. Accepting responsibility for what you’ve done. Giving thoughts to words encourages clarity.”

“I have clarity. About you.” Will can see that he has intrigued Hannibal.

“Our conversations, Will, were only ever about you opening your eyes to the truth of who you are.”

He steps closer to the bars until only the bars of his cell separate them.

“What you did to me is in my head and I’ll find it. I’m going to remember, Dr. Lecter, and when I do there will be a reckoning.”

Hannibal smiles, for want of a better word; he looks proud. “I’ve got huge faith in you, Will. I always have.”

He turns on his heel and leaves Will in his cell.

Will coughs and he catches another anemone petal.

***

Will is served dinner. A gray mash of vegetables, potatoes and overdone meat. He struggles cutting the piece with the plastic knife he has been given. He puts it into his mouth and chews. 

_ He is sat at the table, head held back, eyes rolling as the tube is forced between his teeth. A plastic-covered arm is holding him by the throat gently in an embrace. Hannibal’s face comes into view.  _

_ He is putting something down the tube. Then he is pushing it down with the handle of a wooden spoon. Then he removes the tube and pushes Will’s mouth and nose closed with one hand while holding him close.  _

_ Will can feel his face begin to heat and then his throat works convulsively and he swallows. Hannibal releases his nose and mouth and he gasps for air. A hand strokes over his hair. The hand reaches for a loaded needle on the table, an empty one already beside it. _

_ The hand is still holding him close. _

Will vomits the piece of meat back up, the motion causing him to cough again. Alongside the piece of meat are two petals, one an anemone and the other he recognises as gardenias.

Somehow he wants to hide this second petal and keep it for himself.

*******

Hannibal is regarding Will as he is sat in his cage. Chilton loves these therapy cages; something that Hannibal has always found to be indicative of Chilton’s failing as a psychiatrist. He doesn’t have the stomach for this work. 

Will looks exhausted, wrung-out and haunted. Hannibal is sure that it is a mixture of the sub-standard food, Chilton’s clumsy attempts at ‘therapy’ and the recovery of his encephalitis. From conversation Hannibal knows that the treatment had been successful and Will had made a full recovery. 

He listens to Will and Alana talk. Hannibal knows that there is a part of Alana that is desperate to believe that Will is innocent. Even though the weight of the evidence is oppressive, at least as oppressive it can be in a Ripper case. 

Will’s words are considered. More so than he has ever been before. It is a manipulation, clear to see for anyone willing to look closely. Hannibal knows that he has to tread carefully, but Will has always been able to strip away his defense.

When Will glances at him with eyes brimming with tears, Hannibal has to clench his fist to stop himself from reaching out to wipe away and taste those tears. 

“You can trust me.” Hannibal does mean it. He can be trusted to act in Will’s best interest. He needs him out of the BSHCI lest Chilton ends up killing him. 

Alana is there to soothe Will’s confusion, but the man only has his eyes on Hannibal. He basks in his attention. Finally Will sees him for all he is, even if he hasn’t quite accepted him yet.

“Let me help you.” Hannibal says earnestly.

Will tenses as he admits, “I need you help.”

It’s like a string has been cut as the tears begin to run down his cheeks. Hannibal feels unmoored by them, but he cannot help himself from watching with curiosity. Will is perhaps the only person aside from Mischa that has been able to make him feel like he doesn’t quite understand his own reactions.

Will is no longer a means to an end to him. He is the end. Hannibal just needs Will to live long enough to see it. And if he never finds out who this stranger is that Will loves, he will feed Will until his dying day.

***

He is led back to his cell down the long corridors. His shoulders are still shaking with emotion. Once inside his cell he is unshackled and the door clangs shut. Once he is sure that the guards are out of earshot he stops crying immediately. Will can feel his entire posture relaxing. He wipes at the tears.

Will coughs; his throat is sore. When he opens his hand to catch what is coming out of his mouth he is surprised to see several petals and the innards of the flower. The petal this time is white with a pink edge, the stamen a deep purple. He wants to save the flower to find out what type it is.

***

This time Hannibal visits Will by himself. He is getting bored of seeing Will in this cage. He is not some fragile wounded bird to be kept caged, even though he looks like he is.

At Will’s instruction he pulls his chair forward so he is as close as possible. Will had assured him that he was not about to enter into a pissing contest with him.

“You said that the light of friendship won’t reach us for a million years, that’s how far away we were. I hope our friendship feels closer today.” Hannibal probes.

“Friends have a symmetrical relationship. Psychiatrist and patient. That’s unbalanced.”

“There is a power differential between psychiatrist and patient. One that I’m well aware of, particularly with my own therapist.”

“But we’re just having conversations.”

Hannibal smiles, pleased to see a glimpse of the old Will. He knows that Will is still planning his reckoning, and he thinks that it is going to be glorious,

He watches Will for long moments;there is something Will is not asking him.

“You have something you wish to ask me?”

Will considers this. He nods and then holds out his palm. Half a flower clings to his palm. “Can you identify it?”

“It looks to be a gladiolus.”

Will strokes a thumb over the petals almost as if he doesn’t know he is doing it. “What does it mean?”

“It speaks to the strength of character, a sense of honor. I would say that it is a character trait you possess in spades.”

Will chuckles, “doesn’t feel like it at the moment.”

“Is the pace of these accelerating, as well as the amount?”

Will nods his head, and Hannibal knows that he feels concern for the man in front of him.

“I’m sure Dr. Chilton will find some sort of solution.”

“Yes, once it has progressed far enough to be interesting.”

Hannibal chuckles slightly. Will coughs again and he catches another petal in his hand.

“Are you in pain Will?”

“Nothing more than a sore throat.”

“I can ask Dr. Chilton for something for your throat.”

“He won’t listen; pain makes us more malleable and open to suggestion.”

“Will, that is cruelty.”

“A gift from mankind.”

Hannibal studies Will for long moments. “Have you had any more thoughts on who the person of your affection may be?”

“I don’t know.” Will sounds sure of it. “I’m trying to think of who it could be and no one springs to mind.”

“Dr Bloom?”

Will laughs, and relief floods Hannibal. “No. Dr. Bloom and I are better as friends. I realised it the moment I kissed her.”

“Katz?” 

“This is getting ridiculous now, Dr. Lecter.”

“She has come to see you though.”

“Yes.” Will seems more comfortable discussing this. It had been like this when they had been having conversations. He supposes it is easier for a mind like Will’s to try and make sense of his own darkness through another’s. Will is still wrestling with his morality even as he is slowly ignoring it.

A buzzer rings and Hannibal knows that their time is up.

“I will see you again soon, Will.”

“Good luck out there. Jack has a new tool to use, and it’s you.”

“I am sure that I am not quite as useful as you were.”

Will laughs at that. He lets himself be shackled and led out of the room. Hannibal glances at the floor and sees that the petals he had been clutching are lying there. He picks them up and tucks them into his pocket to take with him.

He thinks he will press them.

***

A chair slides across concrete and then someone sits in front of his cell; his back is turned. He turns around. “I don’t know you.”

The woman in front of him is petite, perfectly styled with not even a hair out of place.

“My name is Bedelia Du Marier.”

“You’re Hannibal Lecter’s therapist. What’s that like?”

She studies him for a long moment.

Bedelia is a fascinating person. Will thinks that she might be the only other person that Hannibal has shown even a part of his true self to. She is brittle, ready to snap. Years of her exposure to Hannibal must be the cause.

When she tells him that she is withdrawing from life, Will finally understands there are only a few ways life with Hannibal can go. It is perhaps her only option apart from death.

She approaches the bars of his cage. A klaxon sounds out and the voice of a nurse is telling her to step away. Will stands as close as he can to the barrier of his cell and she whispers so quietly it’s like she is mouthing the words.

“I believe you.”

A nurse and guard approach from the corridor and lead her away.

Will wants to collapse with profound relief. He needed to hear that with every fibre of his being. 

Then he bends over coughing. An entire flower lands on the floor. A hydrangea. Carefully he picks it off the floor and places it with the others in the book that he had been allowed to keep. It is then that he realises that he never took the gladiola flowers with him, and that it is likely that Hannibal has them. 

***

Will is given a suit to dress into; it is the day of his trial. He is taken into the courtroom in shackles. He sits with his attorney and listens to the prosecutor make her opening remarks.

Seeing Abigail’s picture cuts him just as deeply as it did when he realised that she was dead. 

The prosecutor mentions the fact that he has Hanahaki disease to the courtroom, and Will knows that he is done for; it paints a picture of a clear motive for killing and eating these women. And they had found enough forensic information in his house that would make it seem that way.

He is completely at the mercy of the Judge who is listening with intent. Will glances at Hannibal who is sitting in the audience. He has a pensive look on his face. He hadn’t expected for his disease to be discussed. 

Jack is called to the stand and he holds Jack’s gaze the entire time. 

“He can think like anybody. He had pure empathy and projection. He can imprint profiles on the blank slate of his mind for us to read.”

“Sounds like a supervillain.” Vega points at the table in front of the bench. There dozens of evidence bags sit for the room to see.

“Five horrendous murders. Over forty different pieces of forensic and physical evidence. That tells us Will Graham knows how to think like a killer because he is one.”

Jack looks at Prurnell who is sitting in the audience and then at Will again. Will can see it then; Jack is going to admit that he pushed Will. Further than he ever should have done. Beside him his defense attorney is surprised but also gleeful because this man has given him an opening.

When the Judge calls a recess, Will remains at his table. The man is cocksure but Will thinks that is necessary in a good defense attorney. 

Brauer discusses sending Jack expensive liquor as a thank you. Will thinks it’s a little gauche, and he doesn’t think that Jack has truly helped him. When the man discusses law being like advertising Will says, “advertising trivializes; it manipulates. It’s vulgar.”

“Boo-hoo. So’s the law. We have to create the desire to find you ‘not guilty,’ which does not exist in this courtroom. We’re manipulating the consumer into buying something they don’t need. They don’t want your innocence. Unconsciousness, with a dash of heartbreak in a pretty package caused by love sickness. That I can sell.”

A paralegal approaches with an envelope which Brauer takes from him. Will watches as he slits open the first envelope and then the second. 

Brauer shakes out the envelope over his legal pad. “If I take the moral high ground with you, I’ll get you killed.”

Will is watching the envelope and sees as dark brown flakes fall out, followed by a human ear. It is gray with spots of black blood. Will can feel his face fall.

“I think I opened your mail.”

A bailiff is called to package up the ear as Will watches in disbelief. The Judge enters the chambers again to state that there will be an adjournment until the following day.

***

Hannibal pours a drink and hands it to Jack who is standing by his desk.

“That was a good and brave thing you did for Will today.” This is the truth, and he had not expected for Jack to state that he had been pushing Will so far.

“It may have cost me my job.”

Jack is smiling as they discuss the prospect. He raises his glass in a mock toast. Jack does affirm that he feels better. 

The mood sobers when Hannibal broaches the topic of Bella’s illness. It is a tactic. Hannibal still needs him on edge for his plans. It is easy to do; there is a lot that is hanging over his head.

The phone ringing breaks the moment. Hannibal knows the likely cause for the phone call. Jack looks a little dazed as he answers it, and then tells Hannibal that they need to go to Quantico to go to the evidence lab.

When they reach the room, Hannibal watches as Zeller, Price and Katz are looking at the ear on a slab. Jack seems completely out of it as he listens to them discuss the ear in front of them.

Hannibal finds it almost amusing, the dance that the team have perfected in their year of working together. They are like a creature that has many arms and shares one brain as it badgers around the lab. He manages to throw the seeds of doubt into the room: the ear is indeed a gift from someone even if he doesn’t know whose it is.

***

After spending time in a courtroom wearing a suit, the jumpsuit feels scratchy against his skin. It only serves to remind him of his general level of discomfort he feels being held in the BSHCI. Will can feel Hannibal’s eyes on his nape.

He shouldn’t be surprised that Hannibal manages to find his way to see him so often. As much as Chilton both fears and despises the man, he knows that Will will talk to Hannibal and not him.

“It would seem you have an admirer.”

Will turns to face Hannibal. He almost wants to laugh but he schools his features. He knows that Hannibal sent that ear but he knows there will be no evidence to be found.

They discuss the presence of the killer and what that means for Will’s case. His throat feels more sore with each word. He can feel that urge to cough brewing in his throat.

“Some part of you still suspects me.” Hannibal says and Will sighs.

The sigh triggers a cough and an anemone falls into this outstretched hand. 

Will can feel Hannibal’s hungry eyes on the flower. He knows that Hanniball is desperate to know who his love could be, but he doesn’t know who it could be. 

Hannibal asks him about his admirer. It is easy to let Hannibal guide the conversation on this “admirer”; they both know who the real killer is. His conversations with Hannibal now seem to take on another meaning. How long had Hannibal been trying to tell him something and he had ignored it?

“He cares what happens to you.”

Will coughs again. This time it’s a whole gardenia.

“May I?” Hannibal asks.

Will nods and hands over the flower. Hannibal is so gentle with the flower, and Will is suddenly struck that Hannibal had been a surgeon. There is a steady and precise way he moves his hands. It is easy to imagine how Hannibal can render both aid and harm in equally sure strokes.

***

Hannibal slides a file across the table to Will who is shackled to the table. He is brimming with this quiet rage that Hannibal had first noticed when he watched Chilton give his testimony. He knows that Chilton’s downfall will be soon, but it does nothing to assuage his own rage towards the man. But for now he needs Chilton.

“My admirer?” Will asks.

Hannibal nods, “what do you see?”

Will reads through the report and then closes his eyes. It is fascinating to watch, and Hannibal watches greedily. Will’s hands twitch as he imagines ending Sykes’ final moments.

He opens his eyes and looks up at him. Hannibal schools his features to hide the open admiration on his face. “It’s not the same killer. He murdered his victim first, then mutilated him. Whether it’s me he thinks he’s copying or some else, that’s not how we roll.”

_ Clever boy,  _ he thinks. “How do you roll?”

They discuss the ways in which Hannibal had been able to change his own modus operandi when dealing with this victim. It is just enough to cast doubt on the trial he hopes.

“I must admit to selfish motives. I don’t want you to be here.”

“I don’t want to be here either.”

Hannibal knows that Will has an idea, if no proof, what Hannibal has been feeding Will. So that if he is out, and eating at Hannibal’s table again, it will be proof of Hannibal’s preferred cut of choice. But he does not want Will to die, and that far overrides his own sense of self-preservation.

“Then you have a choice. This killer wrote you a poem, Will. Are you going to let his love go to waste?” 

Will seems to ponder this, the choice he has to make. Hannibal watches him hungrily; he wants to know who the object of Will’s affection is. Even if the thought of someone else makes Hannibal feel stabs of jealousy. Something he knows he has not felt since he was a young boy, desperate for scraps of food and affection.

***

Will has his eyes on Hannibal the entire way through his testimony in court. He can’t help it. Will thinks he couldn’t look away if he tried in those moments. It is like the entire courtroom has faded away and it is just the two of them sat in front of each other in Hannibal’s office once again.

He misses those sessions fiercely. They had always been a source of comfort and stability in his life. But Hannibal had taken it from him. And now for some reason, although if he were to guess it would be that Hannibal wants to see how his disease progresses, Hannibal wants him back. 

Hearing Hannibal say that he failed Will feels like the truth. Like he didn’t think that he would regret seeing Will locked up by his own hand or that he had gotten used to Will. It doesn’t make it hurt any less. Will had trusted Hannibal to keep him safe. It had been perhaps the first time that he had trusted someone else, but Hannibal had betrayed him. Twisted him up to watch him go. He still isn’t sure what Hannibal had wanted from him, not sure if Hannibal has anything bigger planned for him.

Then the judge rules the defense as inadmissible. Hannibal gives him an apology with his eyes, and Will believes that he is apologetic.

When he is back in his cell a coughing fits wrecks through his body. When he finishes he wipes his mouth. There on the floor are several flowers; he picks them up from the floor, resolving to give them to Hannibal when he next sees him.

***

Hannibal is incensed. By now Will should have been well on his way to getting out of prison. For long moments he considers the empty chair. In spite of usually being able to compartmentalize, he finds that he cannot be rid of Will’s appointment slot. So every week like clockwork he stays in his office waiting.

He had hoped that his testimony was going to help Will but instead the Judge had chosen to dismiss his testimony. He has an idea to deal with the Judge that might help him. Hannibal gets into his car and drives. Like so often it had been easy to find the address. People are so predictable. 

Arriving at the Judge's house, it is so devastatingly easy to disable the security system and get in. Judge Davies is by himself; his wife out of town with the children. Hannibal considers for a moment whether their last conversation had been pleasant, then he focuses on getting through the house on silent feet.

The man is asleep in his bed and he doesn’t even wake up as Hannibal sinks a needle into his neck.

Jack calls him the next morning. The man so clearly misses Will’s ability, and it is evident that while he appreciates Hannibal’s insight, he isn’t quite what Jack is used to. 

Walking into the courtroom in daylight is impressive. He had strung up the Judge in front of his bench. His eyes are blindfolded like the painting of Lady Justice behind him. Hannibal had carved open his head and taken out the brain. In his left hand there are the scales that had been on the bench. The scales are perfectly balanced between the Judge’s heart and brain.

Hannibal can’t help himself. “Not only is justice blind, it is mindless and heartless.”

Jack sighs and walks him through what they had found so far. The activity of the team around them is much like it has been at every scene that he had spent time at with them. He is still impressed with them. Hannibal wonders if they ever will be able to find him, and whether they would be as active then.

He is pulled aside by Jack who tells him that the trial is being restarted. A mistrial, as Hannibal had wanted. It has given him enough time to find another solution. After the Judge’s decision to rescind his testimony Hannibal knew it was only a matter of time before Will would have been convicted. 

He spots Kade behind Jack’s shoulder, and at his look Jack turns to face her. Jack excuses himself and goes to talk to her. Hannibal turns to speak to the team.

***

Chilton has Will sitting in the therapy hall. Will almost wants to laugh that Chilton finds him so terrifying that he has Will locked up. As if Chilton doesn’t have enough security in the room that could stop him if he made the wrong move.

“Quid pro quo.” WIll says in answer to the question that Chilton had implied. It is so obvious that Chilton has been recording everyone of his conversations. It is of course a violation of all sorts of conventions and laws.

“This, for that? What ‘this’ are you offering in exchange for my ‘that’?”

“I’m quite the topic of conversation in psychiatric circles. If not I am a medical marvel, aren’t I?”

Chilton scoffs even though it is clear he is interested. Will just needs to hook him close enough. “I shared my diagnosis of you on the witness stand. Your personality disorders, neuroses, all forgeries.”

“There is still the matter of the Hanahaki disease. That is still of some interest.”

There is a glint of interest in Chilton’s eye. He is sure that he has hooked the man. Hanahaki disease is so rare that Will is a great candidate for study. Chilton is nothing if not ambitious to have his name published.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“Will you allow me to test you?”

“Any scans, bloods. And any psychiatric tests. I’ll do them all.” 

Chilton really looks hungry now. Will is almost sure that the man is already drafting an abstract in his head.

“What about Dr Lecter?”

“Shouldn’t you be my one and only psychiatrist, Dr Chilton?”

“Ideally.”

Will pauses to let that sink in for him.

“Now about your ‘that’ for my ‘this’.” Will considers Chilton in front of him and steels his gaze. “Do not discuss me or my therapy with Hannibal Lecter.”

They discuss how Chilton can keep Hannibal from suspecting this turn of events. Will knows that Hannibal will not leave this lying down lightly. He has always been fascinated with Will. Keen to manipulate him to help him become something. Sometimes Will thinks that he would have let Hannibal, had he not lied about the encephalitis.

***

“I’m surprised Chilton let you see me. Said I was no longer your patient. I’m under his exclusive care.”

“Unfortunately, I had to insist. Were you lying to me, Will? When you told me you wanted my help?”

“No.” Hannibal knows that Will is planning something, even if he can’t quite figure out what it is. 

Hannibal tells him about Chilton insinuating that he had used unorthodox therapies on him. It was of course the case, and Hannibal is almost certain that Will knows this. Even as he tells him that he doesn’t believe Hannibal committed these acts. 

Will approaches the bars and Hannibal steps closer; he can’t help himself when it comes to Will, he never has. Will is almost whispering at him about drugs that Chilton had supposedly administered and the visions he had induced of Hannibal using needles and lights. 

Hannibal tells him that Chilton is experimenting on him to try and drive a wedge between them by trying to convince Will of the truth. A truth that he doesn’t want Will to know just yet. Will did promise him a reckoning, and Hannibal isn’t sure he is ready for that quite yet.

“I have a few more flowers for you to identify if you could?”

Hannibal has to be careful to control his features. He is so greedy for them. He knows that they will join the notebook that he is building of the pressed flowers and petals along with sketches he has made.

“Of course.” Hannibal whispers. He reaches out his hand, and Will lets the flowers fall into them. They are slightly crumpled and bruised from Will’s grip but they are no less beautiful for it. Hannibal slowly closes his hand around them. It is a veritable bouquet of different flowers, it makes him feel like he is missing something. He still wishes he knew who the object of his affection was because if he is able to remove this person then Will can live. 

***

Will supposes it might have been rash to send Matthew after Hannibal but he needed to do something. Wanted to try and get rid of the voice in his head that sounded like Hannibal. And Matthew had been so eager to please. 

Hannibal is approaching the bars and he looks a little tired. He supposes it is to be expected. Chilton had told him that much. Matthew had almost succeeded until Jack had been able to stop him. Will knows that Gideon had overheard him. He’s almost certain that he had done it on purpose. He isn’t sure that he did want Hannibal to truly be gone from this world.

Will can tell Hannibal is angry, a seething rage that most would not be able to tell. But Will knows him now, thinks he knows him almost as well as he knows himself sometimes. It is a cold fury and Will isn’t entirely sure what Hannibal is going to do next. There is little he can do in this moment to stop Hannibal from doing anything. It is a strange feeling. He knows he is on the precipice of something between them.

Hannibal leaves with a veiled threat and Will isn’t happy about it. Sometimes he thinks that Hannibal and he have become so intertwined and he isn’t sure how they will be able to separate.

Later Jack approaches his cell and hands Will a file and then leaves. He looks hassled, like he is no longer sure of anything that is happening. He knows that a lot has happened to Jack this entire time that Will has been incarcerated; his wife Bella is so close to her final moments. Beverly’s death weighs heavily on both of them.

Jack leaves soon after, handing over the files without much of a conversation; the man is on a mission at the moment and he has even less time for pleasantries.

So Will opens the file and looks through the images. He is struck at the beauty he sees there. The body had been grafted onto a tree, his abdomen carved open and filled with flowers. Will recognises the flowers immediately. They are the same ones that he had given to Hannibal the last time he had seen him. It touches something in Will. He knows that Hannibal had killed this man and created this tableau, but it almost feels like a love letter for him. 

*** 

Will gets dressed in his cell. With each piece of clothing he feels more like himself, even if he doesn’t feel like the same person he was before. Something has changed in him. He supposes it is to be expected. Hannibal had changed him but for the first time he thinks he can see him clearly. 

He walks through the BSHCI for the last time, he hopes. Sunlight shines through the windows as he passes the therapy cages. He hated those the most, a completely archaic practice that verges on torture. When he reaches the stairs he is surprised to see Jack. He thinks that he shouldn’t really be surprised; he is after all Jack’s favourite tool. Jack tells him about Miriam being found. It was what gave him his freedom, as there is no way he could have been responsible for her disappearance. 

Will thinks it had been Hannibal’s last-ditch attempt at freeing him. If there is no doubt about his innocence then there is nothing that would keep him in the BSHCI. And Will is sure that Hannibal is thinking about finding something to treat him. 

***

Hannibal opens the door. It is still a force of habit. He had kept this appointment slot for the entire time Will had been imprisoned. He is surprised to see Will, especially after the incident in his kitchen. He had hoped, even as he knew it was a fool’s errand.

Will looks good when he turns to face him. His hair is shorter and neater, his beard has been trimmed and he is wearing a shirt that isn’t flannel. It’s like he is showing that beauty that he has kept hidden for all this time. 

He lets Will into the room; he can’t keep his eyes off of the man. It seems a shame that Will loves someone else, enough that his body is killing him because it is unrequited. Will coughs and a flower falls into his hand as he walks. He hands it to Hannibal as he passes. It is a King protea, and Hannibal knows then that Will has changed. He is already a different man to what he was when he last saw him. 

Hannibal places the flower on his desk and then turns to sit in his customary seat. Will is already sat in his seat, and it feels like old times again.

“I have to deal with you. And my feelings about you. I think it’s best I do that directly.”

“First you have to grieve for what is lost and what has changed.” Hannibal is impressed with Will; it is the first time he seems so sure of himself.

“I’ve changed. You changed me.”

“The friendship that we had is over. The Chesapeake Ripper is over.”

Will almost laughs. “It had to be Miriam, didn’t it? She was compelled to take his life so she could take her own back.”

“How will you take your life back?”

“I’d like to resume my therapy.” Hannibal’s heart sings for a moment and he hopes that it can’t be seen on his face. 

He leans forward like he has done so many times before. “Where shall we begin?”

Will smiles slightly as he also leans forward.

***

Will looks at Hannibal as he serves the dish to both Will and Jack and then takes his own seat. There on the plate is the fish he had caught and Hannibal had prepared.

“Truite saumonée au bleu with vegetables and broth, served with hollandaise sauce on the side.” He takes his own seat. “Beautiful fish, Will.”

“It was my turn to provide the meat.”

Hannibal smiles as he cuts into his own dish. They briefly discuss Chilton’s fate and the fact that they no longer have any doubts about his cooking. They both still do, but it would do no good for Hannibal to suspect that a noose is being tied around his neck.

Will takes his own first bite. Like everything Hannibal makes it’s delicious and Will tells him as much. One thing that he can tell is that the urge to cough disappears. It is enough confirmation that he needs, but he doesn’t say anything. Jack has a base awareness of the disease but had trusted what Will had told him.

Will regards Hannibal who is watching him closely. Somehow Hannibal has been able to make something out of his favourite ingredient. Will supposes he should be grateful that Hannibal is so concerned about his well being that he would risk everything.

***

Hannibal thinks that Will is resplendent in his anger. Peter had touched something in Will; that much is clear. It is easy to see why: Peter had been manipulated by someone he should be able to trust. 

Will is almost vibrating with anger, and while Hannibal would love to see Will take another life, this isn’t the right one. Ingram isn’t worth it. He isn’t even a pig, merely a fly to be swatted away. Besides, Hannibal wants Will’s kill to be ready. Now he is still asking for Ingram to pick up the hammer so he can excuse it as self-defense. This isn’t what Will needs. 

“This isn’t the reckoning you promised yourself, Will.” Hannibal says at Will’s shoulder. 

They are standing so close and Hannibal can feel Will’s warmth by his side. He reaches down and places his finger between the hammer and firing pin. It hurts but it’s worth it. Will looks at him with a strange look in his eyes. 

He slides his hand around Will’s and pulls the gun away. Their faces are so close together, and Hannibal can feel his heart beating in his chest. His other hand is on the back of Will’s neck holding him as close he dares. Will looks up at him between his eyelashes as Hannibal breathes into the space between them. “With all my knowledge and intrusion, I could never entirely predict you. I can feed the caterpillar, whisper through the chrysalis, but what hatches follows its own nature and is beyond me.”

Will is looking at him and it’s all Hannibal can think of. He has to stop himself from resting his forehead against Will’s.


	2. Chapter 2

It starts almost by chance; Hannibal and Bedelia arrive in Paris and he doesn’t have time to hunt at first. They are still looking for someone’s life to take over at first. So Hannibal’s preferred ingredient of choice isn’t available. When Hannibal coughs one morning as he gets up, he is surprised to find that a sunflower petal falls from his lips.

Hannibal knows exactly what this means. Like Will he is suffering from Hanahaki disease. He wonders for a moment how Will is coping now that he no longer has Hannibal supplying his diet. The mystery of who he loves is still as present of mind as it was the first time Hannibal had found out about Will’s disease.

One thing is clear to him: that even in spite of his hope, there is no way that Will loves him. After all if Hannibal’s own love for Will were requited then he would not be suffering from the disease. 

He knows what he has to do; he has to continue his diet. But there is a part of him that is fascinated by the flowers his body might produce. He fumbles for the notebook that he has kept on his person this entire time. There between the pages is every one of the flowers that Will had given to him, as well as sketches. 

Hannibal thumbs a few pages forward to a completely blank page, and he puts the petal there, resolving to sketch it later. 

He turns to Bedelia who is still asleep in the bed next to him. It had been easy to tie her to him more closely by tumbling her into bed. She is so easily bent to his machinations. There is a core of steel to her, but he has always known exactly where to push. It’s the reason that she had still been his therapist after her retirement. 

Sex has always been a means to an end to him, certainly an enjoyable one. Hannibal is nothing if not a hedonist, and sex is a large part of his pursuit of enjoying life’s finer things. Paris is one of those cities that encourages the pursuit of hedonism. Ordinarily he would be planning his next hunt, but this sunflower petal means something different and he has been given an opportunity.

So he decides to forgo hunting for a while.

There are only two people he kills in Paris, as he needs someone as cover for Florence. The person he finds is perfect; Dr Fell is the future curator of the Capponi Library in Florence. He meets him at a social event in Paris. The man is interesting and he no doubt is good at his job even if he is clearly insufferable to be around, as Dimmond tells him.

Dimmond is an interesting character; if Hannibal doesn’t look too closely he almost looks like Will. He has chocolate curls like Will but he pales in comparison. He supposes he is a welcome distraction. Hannibal knows that he looks a little rougher and looser than he did in Baltimore. And Dimmond is easy enough on the eyes that it is easy to be dragged into a back room at the venue and have the man fall to his knees. 

Afterwards Dimmond departs with a wink and Hannibal returns to the main room. Dr. Fell is still surrounded by sycophants. The man is drunk and it makes stalking him back to his apartment easy. Dr. Fell stumbles to his door and Hannibal is there waiting for him. The man recognizes him but he is clearly not entirely sure where to place him from. 

But he lets Hannibal into his apartment with the promise of a nightcap. When he turns around to fetch the drink Hannibal strikes. It is almost pathetically easy; a well placed knife to his neck has his blood spraying in an arc across the lounge. Normally he would take a choice cut from the pig but he is resolute to find out the progression of his disease.

Once Fell is dead Hannibal leaves him lying there and goes to the kitchen to find something to eat. He finds some liver in the fridge, which is a little fortuitous as he thinks he would have taken Fell’s liver. He prepares the meat and settles in the dining room to eat. Fell has an extensive wine collection and Hannibal selects a Bordeaux. 

He is in the dining room when Fell’s wife returns. She is shocked when she sees him sitting there alone. When he coughs and a daffodil bud falls from his lips, her eyes widen and she stumbles a little. It is clear to Hannibal that she too has been drinking. She tracks his movements when he stands and approaches her.

“Bonsoir.”

“Bonsoir.” She answers reflexively. Hannibal can tell she is scared; it is clear from the almost sour stench she is giving off and the way her eyes keep darting to the cutlery on the table. Hannibal bounds over to her and snaps her neck.

It feels right to be hunting even if he does nothing to collect his cuts. He returns to his meal and finishes it, then deals with the bodies. He takes the bud with him of course as he feels compelled to press it and sketch it. He is creating quite a collection already.

When he returns to the apartment he is sharing with Bedelia carrying the Fells’ paperwork, she asks him where he has gotten it from, so he tells her that he has left the Fell’s in a modest outlay for two bags of cement.

She accepts it the same way she accepts many things about him. Hannibal knows that she is spending most of the time drinking wine in both his presence and alone. He knows it won’t be long before wine doesn’t do enough to sedate her. 

Hannibal arranges for passports in the Fells’ name so that he can take over his job in Florence. It seems that they had not met the man yet but are keen for him to start. Hannibal and Bedelia travel to Florence.

Florence is just as he remembers, dazzling in its beauty. The job at the Capponi Library is perfect as he is able to explore his love for art and antique books on a grander scale. Bedelia plays the role of a doting wife even as it becomes clearer that she is growing tired of her role. 

He has filled his sketchbook with all of the flowers he has collected so far. Hannibal adds the meanings of each flower. The pages with all of Will’s flowers have been afforded the same treatment. They are beautiful, and it makes him feel devastated that it is so clear that Will is not his. 

Hannibal is beginning to weaken. His breath is coming shorter and shorter. It is harder to breathe everyday and his coughing keeps him up at night. Bedelia has taken to sleeping in another room. She sleeps much easier now that she is taking drugs to keep her as happy as she can be. 

When there are no new flowers and he doesn’t feel like he can survive for much longer, he makes a choice to resume his hunting. 

***

Awareness comes to Will in stages. The first thing he feels is the pain in his chest as he takes a breath. He opens his eyes and realises that he is in a hospital bed. Looking around he sees the expected monitors that glow in the dim light. The numbers of the clock on the wall seem to melt into the wall. 

A figure appears at the end of the bed and for a moment Will thinks that it is Hannibal. But then he realises that it is a doctor. He smiles when he sees Will’s open eyes.

“How do you feel?” The question strikes Will as so bizarrely simple that he isn’t entirely sure how to answer it.

“Thirsty.” The dryness of his throat is strangely the most pressing feeling that he has.

He is handed the cup and he drinks slowly through the straw. He is surprised that the doctor tells him that he has a visitor. He allows the person who is standing just around the corner to enter the room. 

Will gasps when he sees Abigail. She is in a hospital gown which is to be expected. Her wound had been deep. She assures him that Hannibal’s wrath had been swift but surgical in its precision. He isn’t surprised that Hannibal wanted him to suffer enough and then forgiven him. Hannibal does forgive in the same way that God forgives. And Hannibal had told him that he had forgiven him just before he left.

Will closes his eyes. He sees himself and Hannibal sitting in the chairs of his office. The lights seem shadowy in the way that he knows the light hadn’t been. Papers are flying through the air. It’s like it is snowing.

He bends to pick one up. There is the clock that Hannibal had asked him to draw, but unlike in his memory it is not a normal clock. The numbers are clustered in the bottom right corner and the hands are all over the place. He watches them burn into the fire. Hannibal is at his shoulder, both of them watching the pages burn.

He is trying to search his memory for something that could help him find Hannibal. “When we’ve gone from this I will always have this place.”

It is the same thing he said to Will all that time ago. “In your ‘memory palace’.”

He turns to Hannibal but the man’s eyes are fixed on the fire. 

“My palace is vast, even by medieval standards. The foyer is the Norman Chapel in Palermo, severe and beautiful and timeless.”

He stops his burning but he still doesn’t turn to Will even though he wants to see the man looking at him just for a moment. “A single reminder of mortality: a skull engraven in the floor.”

Will looks up at the ceiling. It changes before his eyes to a chapel ceiling. He recognises it from pictures immediately. It is the Norman Chapel, but Will is in his hospital bed. There at the end of his bed are the columns and arches that he knows from the pictures. 

He recovers slowly. With Hannibal gone and his diet back to normal he is once again coughing up flowers. It definitely makes his recovery harder as it wracks through him. The news of his disease becomes even more public when Freddie Lounds posts her article. Somehow she had been able to sneak into his hospital room and take a picture of him in his hospital bed. He has never hated her more than in that moment. Sometimes he wishes he had killed her in that barn of his.

Eventually he is recovered enough to leave the hospital. He stays in contact with Abigail as much as he is able to. She doesn’t talk to him much as she is angry with him. She had wanted him to leave with them. Will knows that truly he did too, even before he knew that Abigail was still alive. But the dice have been cast and there is no way for them to recover what has been lost.

Jack comes to visit him one day when he is working on his boat. A loose plan has formed in his head but he isn’t entirely sure whether he will, or even if he will follow through on it. Jack starts the conversation wanting to make sure that Will follows the official narrative. He tries to comfort Will by telling him that he had made a conscious choice all that time ago. Will finally admits to himself and Jack that he had wanted to run away with Hannibal.

“Have you any idea of who the object of your affections is?”

Will dreads this question every time. “I still don’t know. And before you ask I am wracking my brain for the answer.”

Jack sighs in that way he has when he is frustrated. “Well you had better figure it out or get the surgery.”

“I know, Jack. I know.”

Later he finds himself in Hannibal’s kitchen. The floor is still stained with his and Abigail’s blood. It makes sense the house has been kept the way it had been; the only person who could claim the house is currently a fugitive. 

There is a squeak behind him and Will is shocked to see Alana wheel herself into the kitchen. He had almost forgotten that she had been pushed out of the window all those months ago. Abigail had explained it to him, that she had wanted nothing to interrupt him and Hannibal. She hadn’t known that Will had called Hannibal to tell him. 

“What are you doing here?”

“I guess I’m looking for you.”

“That’s a good guess.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Visiting old friends.”

Will coughs and there in his hands is a gardenia. “It’s a cruel irony, that my body knows I’m in love but my mind still doesn’t.”

“How much longer do you have?”

“Months maybe.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I have to make a decision and it’s becoming harder and harder to know which one is the right one.”

“It’s hard when you aren’t sure of who you are. When you’re still trying to pick up the pieces,” Alana says as she squeezes his shoulders. The thought gives him an idea.

“I came here to be alone, Alana. If you wouldn’t mind.”

She sighs and then Will listens to her wheel herself out of the room. Alone again. He hears Hannibal’s voice telling him to, “wade quietly into the stream.”

Will knows what he has to do. He feels it in his bones, even though he is getting weaker each day. He has been saving each flower as they are appearing thick and fast now with each cough. It’s almost a compulsion at this point. He isn’t sure why he saves them; he thinks a part of him wants to save them for Hannibal to look at even if he isn’t sure what the reception might be.

So he finds himself on his boat NOLA. He had finally managed to fix her up enough for her to be used for this journey. The air is whipping through his hair and he feels more alive than he has in a long time.

Will is working the sails as he looks across the ocean. It is endless across to the horizon. He knows he is doing the right thing. Seeing Hannibal will hopefully give him clarity on what to do next. Somehow knowing he is getting closer to Hannibal makes him breathe a little easier.

***

The perfect opportunity presents itself at an event hosted at the Palazzo Capponi. He takes Bedelia to the dancefloor. She is dazzling in a gold gown as he spins her across the room. He knows that he is being watched by everyone there, as they make a handsome couple. As the song ends he dips her low to the floor. Hannibal can see that she is a little breathless. He feels it too but he has a very different reason for his breathlessness to her. After a beat he pulls her close again to stand. 

“Bellissima.” 

“Grazie.” She breathes back at him.

He snags them both a champagne flute off a passing tray and passes one to her. Hannibal can see that she wants to down the glass but she still has the sense to gently sip at the beverage. 

Sogliato approaches them. He clearly doesn't like Hannibal. The man is impeccably dressed, which Hannibal can appreciate. But the man uses his ego as an academic as armour to avoid confrontation. His dislike for Hannibal is matched by Hannibal’s own for Sogliato. He will make the perfect first meal after all this time, but he will have to be a little patient. 

“Dr. Fell, I hope you translate as well as you waltz.” Sogliato is flanked by the museum’s governing board who are quick to jump to his defense. But Sogliato is not calmed by this. He is clearly incensed by the board’s defense of him. 

Sogliato is shameless as he insults Hannibal. Bedelia seems to realise what danger the man has placed himself in. She asks him to dance, and as Sogliato leads her away Hannibal recites the first of Dante’s sonnet. It is a poem he has always enjoyed of Dante’s work. 

He watches with delight at Sogliato’s fallen face. When Sogliato offers him the challenge of teaching Dante, Hannibal merely agrees. He had not expected this, that much is clear.

Sogliato takes Bedelia’s hand and drags her to the floor. Hannibal smiles at her and she doesn’t return the smile. She is tired of him and the situation that he has dragged her into. Hannibal considers that it might be possible that she will do something regrettable soon.

Seeing Dimmond is a surprise. He wonders if there is a possibility that Dimmond suspects that he has taken over for Dr. Fell, especially when he alludes to meeting Fell. Instead Hannibal decides to invite him to dinner. Dimmond is easy to distract because he, like Hannibal, is a hedonist solely in pursuit of pleasure, which Hannibal can appreciate.

Bedelia is terrified during the entire dinner, tossing back oysters to avoid making conversation. Dimmond still doesn’t seem to know that Hannibal has killed Dr. Fell and taken over his life. But there is still the possibility he suspects something is amiss.

When he suggests that Hannibal had invited him for a tryst, Hannibal jumps at the opportunity. Sex is an easy distraction. Bedelia is reluctant to join them but she does eventually. Afterwards Dimmond leaves and Hannibal thinks that there is the possibility of danger from the man, and that his first meal may come sooner than he is expecting.

Dimmond approaches him after one of his lectures on Dante. He had spotted the man at the back of the audience. It seems that Dimmond is moving faster than he had anticipated. It would also seem that Bedelia has spoken to Dimmond on one of her trips to the deli. He wants to sigh but he calms himself. 

Sogliato tries needling him again but Dimmond tells him that the  _ Studiolo _ had been pleased at his lecture. Sogliato excuses himself and leaves them be. Hannibal walks Dimmond through the collection of the Palazzo. Dimmond is still as flirtatious as he has been the entire time that Hannibal had known him before he turns to the subject of the real Dr. Fell. But even that is told with innuendo.

Using this tension he invites Dimmond back to the apartment. There in the entryway is Bedelia in a coat and carrying a small suitcase. Hannibal knows exactly what is happening. She had indeed talked to Dimmond to try and persuade Hannibal to leave so that she can escape him. Once inside the door Hannibal locks it. Her face is terrified but he ignores her. He is furious at her; her reckoning is coming.

She still follows him into the flat and into the kitchen. Bedelia seems to be very far away as he kills Dimmond. “Observe or participate.” 

“What?” Bedelia says after a moment.

“Are you, in this very moment, observing or participating?”

“Observing.”

Hannibal coughs through a smile. “If you can see me, I can see you.”

He leans over Dimmond’s corpse. He breaks the limbs after he takes his cuts of choice, storing them in the fridge. He tells Bedelia that she hadn’t just been observing, as she admits that she had expected this outcome. Hannibal takes Bedelia’s coat and suitcase. He unpacks the case before he stores Dimmond’s body in one of his steamer trunks.

A taxi is ordered and Hannibal takes it to the train station. Porters help him carry the trunk into a compartment that he has booked just for himself. There in the compartment he folds a sketch of the Vitruvian man into a heart. He should have eaten before he left because he can feel the way his breath becomes shorter. He will need his strength for what comes next.

***

The chapel is even more beautiful than the pictures made it seem. It is a little easier to breathe here than he thinks is possible. Abigail is by his side. The wound on her neck is stark against her pale skin. She seems delighted as she looks around the Chapel with him. Will thinks he understands now why Hannibal had chosen this place as a key feature of his memory palace. He looks up at the ceiling after a moment. 

“Do you feel closer to God?”

“God’s not who I came here to find.”

They walk further into the chapel. Will can feel a priest’s eyes on them. Abigail is talking to him so low that only he can hear her. She sounds a little like Hannibal; his influence on her is clear. And he understands that Hannibal is good at influencing others. It is so true in everything that has happened with Margot.

“Do you feel closer to him here?”

He does feel a little closer to Hannibal, but it still feels like he is barely scratching the surface of the man. He wonders when he will be able to see him. Will hopes that their paths will cross here. After several hours Will and Abigail leave the chapel and go back to the hotel. 

Will has a restless night’s sleep. The next day he goes back to the chapel and spends all day there. He does this for a few days until he has a strange dream about the stag man once again. When he wakes he returns to the Norman Chapel the entire atmosphere has changed drastically. There in the center of the floor right over the skeleton and barely covered by a privacy screen, is a tableau. It looks like a heart skewered on swords. He walks forward. Near him there is someone talking to the priest in hushed tones. 

Abigail and Will walk towards the screens with purpose past the CSI agents who are looking at the scene.

“Is it him?” Abigail asks in a hushed whisper.

Will is almost certain that it’s Hannibal but before he can answer someone approaches him. A poliziotto based on his uniform, he speaks to Will in rapid Italian that he doesn’t understand. At his confused English the man only tells him the chapel is closed. Will reluctantly turns to leave before something is shouted across the chapel. Will turns to the Poliziotto who translates and tells him that someone wants to speak to him. 

He is lead to the police station where he is sat in a row of empty chairs waiting to be questioned. Finally someone approaches him. It is a haggard looking man. “Signor Graham.” Will turns to speak to the man and he introduces himself as Chief Inspector Pazzi from Florence. That is surprising as Palermo is a fair distance from Florence. For a brief moment he wonders whether Hannibal is in Florence.

Pazzi tells him that the priest had noticed him coming to the chapel daily. Will evades the question by simply telling him that he has been praying. Pazzi only offers a platitude to that. Will thinks that Pazzi wants to say more but doesn’t. He is pulled away by one of the local poliziotto. Will leaves and there at the bottom of the stairs Abigail is waiting for him. She gestures over to the bannister. Pazzi is holding a yellowed file folder. 

The inspector tells him about Il Mostro which captures Will’s attention. Pazzi shows Will the pictures from 20 years ago. There is the image of a couple in the back of a truck. It looks exactly like a Botticelli. Pazzi confirms that it is a replica of a part of the Primavera that hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. 

“The Uffizi Gallery, that is where you met  _ il Mostro _ .”

“That’s where I met this man.” Pazzi passes a photo to him. The photo is instantly recognizable. He is younger sure, but Hannibal has a distinctive face. He was handsome then and he is even more handsome now; age has agreed with Hannibal.

Pazzi tells him of watching the young Hannibal sketch in front of the Primavera. He had discovered in time that the man was Lithuanian and that his fascination with the Primavera was so intense that he was sure that Hannibal was  _ il Mostro. _

But like everyone so far there was no evidence to be found.

He walks to the Norman Chapel with Pazzi. He is able to persuade the poliziotto to let Will pass to look at the heart there.

Will can see it so clearly: Hannibal splintering the bones to make the body malleable. Skinning and trimming parts of the body until it looks like a human heart. It almost looks like the heart is beating the closer he gets to the body. 

It almost seems like a bloody valentine written on a broken man. Will considers why Hannibal would possibly be heartbroken. After all it is clear that Hannibal easily sheds his skin and everything else when he needs to.

Will is leaning against the altar and is breathing heavily. The heart had morphed in front of him to a grotesque version of the ravenstag with no feathers or fur. Abigail approaches him and he tells her that he feels closer to Hannibal. 

“God only knows where I would be without him.”

“What did you see?”

“He left us his broken heart.”

“How did he know we were here?”

“He didn’t. But he knew we’d come.”

“He misses us.”

Will imagines a scenario where Abigail and he had gone with Hannibal to the place in the world that he had carved out for them. Will has to try and fight his emotions. “A place was made for you, Abigail, in this world. The only place I could make for you.”

She is looking at him for long moments, Will’s eyes are focused on the newly healed scar on her neck. Before his eyes the line darkens, growing red and then splitting. Blood flows out of her down her front. He does nothing to stop the bleeding. There isn’t anything he can do, because he remembers that Abigail didn’t survive Hannibal’s wrath. Her death had been Will’s punishment. 

Will is alone now sitting next to the altar. He is almost sure that eyes are on him. Will coughs and coughs, almost unable to control himself. Heather falls from his mouth like snow. Eventually he is able to get his breathing under control again. Will gasps for breath until he stops feeling sick.

Pazzi approaches him again and the man tries to convince him to hunt the monster of Florence, but Will tells him that to find some peace he must stop hunting the man. After all Hannibal leaves a trail of bodies behind him. Will feels his eyes drawn to the door of the catacombs; something tells him that he needs to go down into them.

Finally Pazzi leaves him be and Will follows his urge. It’s like he can feel Hannibal all around him as he runs down the narrow maze-like hallways. There are so many corpses there.

“Hannibal.” He calls. He is breathless. The combination of running and his weakened lungs are to blame, he is sure of it. 

Somehow he finds Pazzi. He isn’t surprised as the man is almost as dogged as Jack. He tells him to go as Hannibal won’t reveal himself to Pazzi. Will disappears into the darkness when Pazzi pauses. Will searches for Hannibal with a desperate fear; he doesn’t want Pazzi to find Hannibal. 

He reaches a point where there is almost complete darkness. He stops and it feels like the halls are filling with blood. He coughs once. From the way that the flower feels he is sure that it is an anemone. He lets it fall to the floor. 

“I forgive you.” Will says into the darkness, and it echoes through the building. But there is no answer. He feels lost and like maybe he doesn’t know Hannibal as well as he thought. Will decides then that he has to find out everything that he can about the man before he sees him again.

Will leaves the catacombs feeling more alone than he ever has. 

Finding Chiyoh in the dungeons of the Lecter castle is a surprise. Will is trying to cling to life which seems to be getting harder with each passing day. What is most surprising is the prisoner there in the underground cell. She tells him that Hannibal’s sister has been murdered by the captive that she has been guardian for decades. Will is surprised by the loyalty that Hannibal seems to inspire in certain people, and he wonder whether it is the same now as he is so reluctant for Hannibal to be seen by anyone but him. He isn’t even entirely sure what he is going to do when he sees Hannibal.

Chiyoh asks him what he wants to do with Hannibal and he tells her that he has never known himself as well as he does with the man. Then he does something he thinks that Hannibal would have done; he frees the prisoner and Chiyoh kills him. She is horrified at what she has done but she tells him that she knows why he did this. That he was using the moment to confirm Lecter’s curiosity. 

Finally Chiyoh agrees that she will help him find Lecter. Will is sure that throughout the years Hannibal has kept in contact with her. So she is his best option to find him. 

Before he leaves Will transforms the corpse. Using snails, broken glass and flowers that he has coughed up while here, he turns the prisoner into a dragonfly. Will cannot help himself; he takes a picture of the tableau because he needs Hannibal to see what he has created. 

***

Will thinks that the walk to Florence almost kills him before Hannibal could even get his hands on him. If Will survives seeing Hannibal then he needs to have this surgery. It is now his only option if he wants to survive. Even though he isn’t sure that he does want to survive.

In Florence he is surprised to find Jack. The man is bruised and bloodied and he tells Will about seeing Hannibal in the Palazzo Capponi and fighting him. The loss of Bella is writ large in the man’s face. It seems to make Jack even more determined to find Hannibal. Will isn’t surprised to learn that Pazzi has been murdered. He had warned the man but he had seemingly decided to ignore every piece of advice he had given him. 

They find the apartment where Hannibal had been staying. There in the living room they find Bedelia. She is completely drugged and barely responds to questioning except to try to convince them that she is Mrs Fell. Will leaves Jack to look through the house. In the bedroom it is clear that both sides of the bed had been slept in. For a moment something flashes through him that he can’t quite understand the emotion of. But his eyes are drawn to a small notebook on the nightstand nearest the window. 

The notebook is almost bulging and Will carefully picks it up. It is obvious from the handwriting that it is Hannibal’s. He opens it to the first full-page spread. Will has to sit down on the bed. There is one of the flowers he had coughed up, next to a sketch of Hannibal’s. Page after page is filled with his flowers and drawings of them. 

Then there are a few blank pages and more flowers appear. Will doesn’t recognise them as his own. But next to each one is a date and time. He realises then that Hannibal too is afflicted with the same disease. Hannibal’s own flowers are rendered in the same beautiful drawings as Will’s. One thing that stands out to him is that there is one flower that is common to both Will and Hannibal. Near the middle of each of their sections is a gardenia. 

Will lifts the notebook to his face and inhales deeply. There is still a slight scent that lingers on the pages.t is a fresh scent that is a little sweet. For a moment he thinks he can smell how well the scent would go with Hannibal’s cologne. 

Carefully Will slips out of the apartment, not waiting for Jack to notice him. He has to find Hannibal.

***

Hannibal sits in front of the Primavera. It is just as breathtaking as the first time he saw it all those years ago. He sketches the painting as he has so many times before. He aches everywhere. Had he been stronger without the disease then maybe he would have been able to fight Jack and kill him. But he is a little stronger now, having finally eaten the pigs he had killed.

He can sense someone approach, and it feels familiar. A hand lands on his shoulder and he inhales deeply. It’s Will and his heart leaps. 

Smiling up at Will, because he is just as breathtaking as the painting, Will sits next to him. Like Hannibal he is breathing heavily, which tells Hannibal that in the months between seeing each other, Will still had not found the object of his love. That placates the beast in Hannibal’s chest a little.

“Good to see you,” Will says after a beat.

“If I saw you every day forever, Will, I would remember this time.” It’s possibly the most directly honest he has been with Will.

“Strange to see you in front of me. Been staring at afterimages of you in places you haven’t been in years.”

Hannibal knows that after the Palermo Will would have gone back into his past. He would have done the same if he had had the opportunity. He still wishes he could have seen the beginnings of Will.

“I looked up at the night sky there. Orion above the horizon and, near it, Jupiter. I wondered if you could see it, too. I wondered if our stars were the same,” Will continues.

“I believe some of our stars will always be the same. You entered the foyer of my mind and stumbled down the hall of my beginnings.”

Will reaches into his jacket and pulls out a notebook that Hannibal recognizes. He flicks through the pages and turns to Hannibal.

“It’s not just our stars that are the same. There are flowers too.” Will is smiling and it is like the sun is shining. “I wanted to understand you before I laid eyes on you again. I needed it to be clear what I was seeing.”

“Where does the difference between the past and the future come from?”

“Mine? Before you and after you.” He considers Hannibal with that complete intensity that he has sometimes. “Yours? It’s all starting to blur. Mischa. Abigail. Chiyoh.”

He shouldn’t be surprised that Will found Chiyoh. She has after all been a steady help all this time, devoted and meticulous. Hannibal knows that she is also in the city but he isn’t sure where. Chiyoh will do as she pleases.

“How is Chiyoh?”

“She pushed me off a train.”

Hannibal chuckles. “Atta girl.”

“You and I have begun to blur.”

Will tells him it is like he feels all of Hannibal’s crimes are his own,hat trying to separate themselves from each other will be impossible. Will tells him that he isn’t sure that either of them could survive separation. 

“Now's the hardest test: not letting rage and frustration, nor forgiveness, keep you from thinking.” Hannibal stands and Will follows suit. “Shall we?”

“After you.”

They walk into the courtyard and Will is at his shoulder. He thinks that this perhaps is the perfect way to end his trip to Florence. He knows that Mason is still after him and Jack is still in the city. 

Suddenly there is a burst of noise and then Will is stumbling and falls against Hannibal. He catches him, trying to hold him up as if he was drunk or faint. Something clatters from Will's hand to the floor. It is a knife. It seems that Will had planned to exact a reckoning indeed. He picks up the knife. It is a harpy knife that he has carried with him for years. 

Will is bleeding from the wound in his shoulder. Hannibal holds him close and hustles him through the busy courtyard toward the riverfront.

Hannibal manages to get them into Sogliato’s apartment. After Bedelia had killed him Hannibal had paid someone to maintain the apartment, knowing that he might have needed it for something. 

He maneuvers Will onto the couch where the man lies back. He is dizzy from the blood loss. The blood is dripping down his arm and onto the floor. 

“The bullet is still inside you. This will hurt.”

He takes Will’s coat from his shoulders, exposing the wound but trapping his limbs. He needs t Will still so that he doesn’t move too much while he takes out the bullet.

Hannibal cuts the shirt away so he can see the wound. It is a mess of blood as it oozes out. 

“Chiyoh’s always been very protective of me,” He considers Will for a moment. “Did she kill her tenant or did you?”

“She did.” Will sounds like he is slowly losing consciousness.

“Excellent.” Hannibal places the knife back into Will’s hand. “You dropped your forgiveness.”

Will looks at the blade and then directly at Hannibal. “You forgive how God forgives.”

Will laughs at that and Hannibal continues, “Would you have done it quickly, or would you have stopped to gloat?”

“Does God gloat?”

“Often.”

Will glances down at his arm as Hannibal places a needle and gives him an injection. The effect is almost instantaneous; Will drops the blade to the floor and his eyes flutter closed. 

Hannibal waits until he is completely gone before he uses tweezers to extract the bullet and then sews it shut. He takes off Will’s coat and shirt. Carefully he bathes Will with a sponge, reminded sharply of his time in hospitals. 

Once he has him cleaned Hannibal dresses him in the shirts that he brought for Will all that time ago. They fit like a glove as Hannibal had had them ordered in from the same place that he gets his own shirts. 

Hannibal coughs and a red rose falls from his lips. He makes a choice then, one that he hadn’t thought possible when he saw Will earlier in the Uffizi. He has to eat Will to forgive him and cure his disease. After all, if Will no longer exists in this world then he doesn’t need to love anymore.

Carefully he takes off Will’s slacks and puts him into woolen ones also tailored to the younger man. Once Will is dressed in his final outfit Hannibal carries him to the dining room and straps him into the chair. 

He prepares a soup for Will that will enhance his flavor. Once it is ready he injects Will again. Soon he surfaces towards consciousness and blinks up at Hannibal. “I do not indulge much in regret but I am sorry to be leaving Italy. There were things in the Palazzo Capponi I would have liked to read.”

He places the tureen in front of Will. He continues speaking to Will as he finds a straw for him to use. “I would have liked to have shown you Florence, Will.”

Will sips at the dish and makes a face. “The soup isn’t very good.”

“It’s a parsley and thyme infusion, and more for my sake than yours. Have another sip and let it circulate.”

Will does, pliable to Hannibal’s desires. He wishes Will was pliable to him for more enjoyable reasons. Across the table is another place setting. Hannibal knows he has another guest coming. 

Hannibal hides under the table waiting for Jack’s heavy tread. When he is just within reach Hannibal slices through his achilles tendon. The man falls to the floor and Hannibal injects him with the same paralytic he had used on Will.

He binds Jack to the other place seat. Will is still floating in and out of wakefulness. 

Hannibal begins to prepare the burners and the pan. He adds butter to it and lets it brown before scraping in minced caper berries.

He turns to Jack when he hears the man attempt to struggle, and tells him about the paralytic that he had given Jack. 

Will sips at the wine he pours and agrees about the way their final dinner with Jack should have gone.

Hannibal then picks up the bone saw that is lying on the table just out of Will’s reach, even though the man appears not to be inclined to do anything about his predicament. “Jack was the first to suggest getting inside your head.”

He is looking at Will fondly and then feels his heart drop. This wasn’t how his reunion with Will should have gone. But he has no choice in this matter. “Now we both have the opportunity to chew quite literally what we’ve only done figuratively.”

He flicks on the switch of the bone saw and it revs threateningly. He approaches Will. It almost drowns out the music playing in the background. Behind him Jack exclaims but Hannibal cannot be stopped now. He has to eat Will if he has any hope of surviving if he is captured. 

Hannibal presses the saw to Will’s head and with a sickening noise the blade begins to tear through the skin of his head and then bone. Blood is pouring down his face and begins to stain the crisp white shirt. While the skin had split easily the bone is far tougher. But before it can do more than graze at the bone people break into the room and have them surrounded. With profound relief Hannibal lets the saw drop.

***

Will wakes in his own bed. He touches his face and winces when he feels stitches on his forehead and chin. He looks around his room. There on the chair beside his bed is a writing pad. It is filled with symbols and signs of astro and particle physics as well as sketches of some of their flowers intertwined. Hannibal enters the room and Will hands him the writing pad. 

Hannibal tries to tell him that they should talk about teacups and time, but Will tells him that the teacup is broken and will never gather itself together again. Hannibal tries to make him see sense but Will has come to accept that, as much as he loves Hannibal, he realises now that it has always been Hannibal. Hannibal is the reason that his body has been killing him this last year. But being with Hannibal would mean that he would have to give up something big, something that he isn’t ready to give up yet. And due to the virtue of his disease it is clear that Hannibal does not love him.

So he tells him. “I miss my dogs. I'm not going to miss you. I'm not going to find you. I'm not going to look for you. I don't want to know where you are or what you do. I don't want to think about you anymore.”

It seems to strike a chord with Hannibal. “You delight in wickedness and then berate yourself for the delight.”

“You delight. I tolerate.”

“Tolerance is a fig leaf to hide your ravenous self from the world.”

“I don’t have your appetite.” He pauses and looks at Hannibal for long moments. “Goodbye, Hannibal.”

Hannibal stands up, looking at Will for long moments. Will averts his eyes and Hannibal seems to understand what he means and leaves.

Once Hannibal is out of the house Will coughs and a single blue forget-me-not falls into his hands. Somehow he realises that his chest feels free in a way that it hasn’t in months. He takes long gulping breaths, realising then that Hannibal loves him too, and he has sent the man away. 


	3. Chapter 3

Molly is a breath of fresh air. He met her in a supermarket when she was dragging Wally through the aisles. There had been an evident sorrow that followed her the entire way through the store, but she had been kind and apologetic when Wally had bumped the cart into Will and hadn’t stared at his scars. 

Will had invited Molly to coffee and then dinner. The rest was, as they say, history. He moved into her house. Giving up Wolf Trap had been easy because there were still so many painful memories attached to it. The house went from his safe haven to a place that he doesn’t think he can return to. 

He loves Molly. He knows that with every fibre of his being. They are a source of comfort for each other. Two people who have been broken by someone else. In her case it was the death of her husband and Wally’s father. For Will it is the loss of Hannibal.

Thoughts of Hannibal occupy a lot of his daily life. His last flower he pressed and then had someone entrap in resin so that he can use it as a key chain. Molly asked him about it once and he told her it was from an ex. It was the easiest explanation as it’s difficult to explain what Hannibal had been. 

She only knows the basics of his life before everything--- that he had been a consultant and lecturer with the FBI but left after a number of injuries. Molly has never read any of the articles because she chooses not to and believes him instead. She makes sure that he applies ointments to his scars so they fade as much as possible.

They marry on a beautiful spring day and she is absolutely stunning as she walks down the aisle. The wedding is small both not wanting a huge celebration after they had suffered so much loss. The only thing Will insists on is that none of the flowers that he or Hannibal had coughed up be used in the wedding.

***

Hannibal knows he is lucky that Chilton is no longer in charge of the BSHCI because what he had seen of it under Chilton had been horrendous. The man was cruel for cruelty’s sake and had preferred to keep the inmates as miserable as possible.

Alana on the other hand is at least concerned with the inmates’ well-being and affords them basic human rights and comforts. After he takes the insanity plea and becomes a presumed permanent inmate Alana even allows him to have his books and materials with which to sketch. 

One thing that Hannibal does notice is that he no longer coughs up flowers, which means that Will finally loves him back. He regrets then that he didn’t say more that fateful night at his house. Scans before he is admitted confirm that his lungs are completely clear and that there is no chance of the disease lying dormant.

He religiously follows news of Will when he can find it. Alana doesn’t say anything about it but she does bring him articles. She does try to ask him once but he tells her that he is not interested in discussing Will with her, even though he knows she is still bitter--- that in the months of using her as his alibi they had often discussed Will. He almost hadn’t been able to help himself, he realises now. 

She prints out articles from Freddie who is able to find out that Will has married. Hannibal finds the picture. He looks happy and it hurts to see. There is a child involved and Hannibal knows that Will is just trying to fill the void that Abigail left. Hannibal regrets Abigail’s death, but Will needed to be punished for his betrayal. He should have known that Will wasn’t ready yet.

But there is little he can do just yet. One day Alana brings him a copy of Chilton’s book. He seethes with rage due to the way Chilton describes him, so he starts writing a rebuttal to submit to the American Journal of Psychiatry. He knows there is a possibility that Alana will never submit the article on his behalf, but he thinks she is just as upset at the portrayal of Mason’s demise.

Chilton visits him so that they can have dinner in his cell. He spends the entire time talking about the subject of his next book being the Tooth Fairy. Hannibal had read of this killer when Alana had brought him newspapers. He knows that Crawford will go to see Will to try and encourage him to help. After all, Hannibal knows that Will had lectured and consulted on the subjects like this before. 

Once Chilton is gone he sits down to write a letter. He has to write and sketch in dull pencils as he has been known to use almost anything as a weapon. He adds a sketch of a gardenia to the letter, knowing that Will will know exactly what it means.

***

Will should have know that Jack would find him. So seeing a black SUV approach the house is not unexpected as much as it is annoying. At Molly’s questioning look he only mumbles something about an old friend and pulls on a coat and exits the house.

He leads Jack away from the house and onto the veranda. He doesn’t want to talk to Jack about everything that has happened, nor the reason that Jack has appeared at his doorstep. He is sure it has to do with a case that his help is needed on.

Will tries to ignore his pleas for help. He knows the case that it is in reference to because he has seen the news. But he can’t help because he has lost too much. Here on the lake he feels at peace for the first time in a long time, perhaps ever.

Eventually Jack leaves and Will returns to the house and greets Molly with a kiss. She tells him that Jack had stopped at the shop that she works in to ask directions. It fills Will with a quiet rage that is soothed when she tells him that he seems happy. He tells her that helping Jack would be bad for him and she merely shrugs, content to leave Will to make his own decisions. She does tell him to invite Jack for dinner as he travelled all that distance to talk to him.

Dinner with Jack is an awkward affair, all of them dancing around the subject that Jack so clearly wants to broach. But hopefully it sends a message to Jack that he doesn’t want anything to disturb his life here away from everything. When Wally is finished he rises and takes the dogs out to pee and Will joins him. He knows it leaves Molly alone to speak to Jack and he thinks that Jack may try to appeal to the goodness of her heart.

That’s why Will loves her. She is after all a truly good person with only kindness in her heart. Molly is fierce and would defend her family with everything she has, but at her core she is almost the polar opposite of Hannibal.

Thoughts of Hannibal are always complicated because it twists something in him. This beast that is lonely and howling for its mate while the betrayal still sits heavy in his chest. He thumbs the keyring in his pocket. He always has it on him. Will takes it out and looks at the delicate color of the flower; it is almost an antithesis of what he has with Hannibal.

Later when Jack is gone, Molly approaches him with the photos Jack has given her. Will knows that Jack wouldn’t have told her much but appealed to her better nature. She asks him if staying home would sour it for him if another family is killed, and Will can only tell her that he will change. Molly tells her that she won’t change and Will can’t help himself when he kisses her and pulls her into bed.

When Molly is asleep he gets out of his bed and goes to the chest of drawers to pull it open. Inside is an envelope. Jack had left it for Will when he had seen it and Will hadn’t looked at it till now.

It simply states, “Will c/o the FBI.” He pulls on a dressing gown and pads into the dining room. The fireplace is still smoldering and he stokes it until there is a small fire. He sits in one of the chairs in front of the fire and tears open the envelope. Will shakes out the second one. It is addressed directly to him in a familiar script. His heart is pounding.

For a moment he considers throwing the letter into the fire without reading it, but then he rips it open as well. Will opens the folded paper and two pieces fall to the ground. He traps it with one foot. It is strange seeing the familiar handwriting again, blunted somewhat by the medium used. As he reads it’s like he can hear Hannibal’s voice in his ears.

“ _ Dear Will, we have all found a new life. I congratulate you on your marriage.he suit you wore was exceptional. But it seems our old lives are hovering in the shadows like incipient madness. I fear that Jack will come knocking to draw you back in. I encourage you to say no to him. The other side of the door is dark and madness is waiting. Yours, Hannibal. _ ”

Will considers the note for long moments and then picks up the two pieces of paper from the floor. One is a newspaper clipping about the Tooth Fairy and the other is a sketch. He recognizes the flower sketched there. It is a gardenia, rendered just as beautifully as it had been in the notebook. He throws the clipping into the fire and watches it burn. He takes the letter and sketch and tucks them back into the envelope. Will returns to the bedroom and tucks the envelope back into the drawer.

***

Alana presents the bouquet to him from outside his cell. It’s large and colourful and a complete mess of different flowers. But he recognises every single one of them. Hannibal knows instantly who sent the bouquet.

“Who is this from?” Alana asks accusingly.

“A friend.” Hannibal answers slowly. It would seem that Will had chosen not to include a name in the card, but he knew that Hannibal would recognize the sender.

“Some friend.” She says as she sniffs at the bouquet and makes a face. “Although not one talented at floral arrangement.”

“I think that it’s representative of the person who sent it.” He tries to hide how much he wants the bouquet for himself because if he shows too much excitement it is possible that Alana will not hand it over.

“Well, we found nothing amiss.” She says slowly and approaches the hatch. Alana slides the bouquet through the opening and once closed Hannibal picks it up.

This close the smell is overwhelming. He knows that the scent of each of the individual flowers would be delightful, but then he supposes it makes sense. He and Will are also a mix that would seem to not make sense upon first observation.

“I imagine a vase is out of question?”

“It is. But you can always press them if you life. Or use your cup.”

Hannibal inclines his head and watches as she leaves. Once Alana is gone he takes the bouquet to the table and places the stems into his cup. It is unlikely that he will be able to keep the flowers for longer than a day, but he will enjoy them for a little while.

He settles on his cot with his back to the wall. He imagines sitting in the Norman Chapel with Will across the aisle. The chapel is decorated with all the flowers they have produced, like a string that is holding them to this plane and each other. 

A few days later Alana announces that he has a visitor. His heart leaps with hope and he wonders if he will be able to see Will, but he also knows that hope can be deadly. When the door opens to the room that looks into his cell, he can smell him first. Hannibal's heart thuds over a skipped beat. Will had ignored his warning but still he has come to see him. 

Will is carrying a file in his arms. It seems that Jack had gotten to Will in the meantime.e thinks that Jack had gone through Will’s wife. Will had seemed resolute to never return the last time he had seen him in court. Hannibal inhales greedily, his scent still hasn't changed. 

“That’s the same atrocious aftershave you wore in court.”

Will ignores the statement. “Hello, Dr. Lecter.”

“Hello, Will.” He bristles at the return to distance. “Did you get my note?”

“I got it. Thank you.” Will looks around the cell. “Did you get the flowers?”

“I had received them, but they were deemed too much of a danger. So the stems were cut and I was allowed to press them."

“It’s easier to keep them that way. A memento of different times.” Will is looking at him with a strange gleam in his eyes. “It’s a shame your notebook was lost.”

“But you have an eidetic memory so nothing is lost to you.”

“That’s true.”

“Speaking of reading. did you read my note before you destroyed it? Or did you simply toss it into the nearest fire?”

“I read it. And I only burned the clipping.”

“And you came anyway. I’m glad you did. My other guests have been professional. Pencil-lickers trying to protect their tenure with pieces in the journals.”

“I want you to help me, Dr. Lecter.”

“Yes, I thought so. But why the lack of first names? I would think that after everything we would be on such a basis.”

“I’m more comfortable the less personal we are.” Will’s nostrils widen the way they always do when he’s trying to obfuscate something. 

“I imagine that you didn’t opt for surgery since you married.”

“Surgery was no longer needed.”

“Oh?” 

Will doesn’t take the bait. “I’m here about Chicago and Buffalo. You’ve read about it, I’m sure.”

“I’ve read the papers. I can’t clip them. They won’t let me have have scissors of course. You want to know how he’s choosing them.”

“Thought you would have some ideas.”

“You just came here to look at me. Came to get the old scent again. Why don’t you just smell yourself?”

Will looks angry. “I expected more of you, Doctor. That routine is old hat.”

“Whereas you are a new man. Are you a good father, Will?” Before he can answer Hannibal continues, “Let me have the file. Give me an hour and we can discuss it like old times.”

“Thank you,” Will says as he pushes the file through the hatch. 

“Family values may have declined over the last century, but we still help our own when we can,” He pauses. “You’re family.”

Something crosses over Will’s face and Hannibal feels awash with emotions, something he cannot name. He swallows it down as Will walks away. He knows it is true; Will is his family and he has always done everything he can to protect what is his. 

***

Hannibal is looking at the corkscrew in his hand and then at Will before he slices the seal off the wine bottle. Will recognizes it as the one he gave to Hannibal so many years ago. “My compassion for you is inconvenient, Will.”

Will smiles. “If you’re partial to beef products, it’s inconvenient to be compassionate toward a cow.”

“Save yourself; kill them all?”

“I don’t know if I can save myself. And maybe that’s just fine.” Hannibal is smiling more than Will has ever seen him.

“No greater love hath man than to lay down his life for a friend.”

Will smiles because he thinks it’s clear that the two of them are more than just friends.

He can feel eyes on them, and Will says, “he’s watching us now.”

There is a dull impact on glass and the wine bottle in Hannibal’s hand shatters, staining his jumper. The window breaks around the bullet hole. Then there is another loud crack and Hannibal drops the remnants of the bottle to the floor, blood blossoming through the stain on his jumper. Hannibal slides to his knees, blood pumping from the wound in his abdomen.

Will looks to the window and watches as Dolarhyde enters, a gun in his hand and a knife in his belt.

“Don’t run. I’ll catch you.” Dolarhyde says to Will and he merely shrugs. 

Hannibal greets Dolarhyde, because even when injured the man is unfailingly polite. Dolarhyde tosses a tripod to Will and he sets it up. He knows what’s coming next; odd to think that Dolarhyde sees Hannibal as the wife that needs to be obliterated. 

He is handed a camera which he screws to the tripod. Dolarhyde is completely fixated on Hannibal and seems to not be paying any attention to Will.

While trying to reach for the gun tucked into the small of his back as Dolarhyde is talking, a knife is suddenly slammed into Will's cheek. Blood fills his mouth and pours down his face. He can see Hannibal snarl. He tries to fight Dolarhyde off by grasping his arms but the dragon Instead picks Will up with the knife, driving it deeper into his face. Will feels like he is choking on his own blood.

Dolarhyde then picks him up by his shoulders and throws him through the broken window and onto the patio. He rolls across the floor like just some doll. He gets his hands and knees underneath himself as Dolarhyde approaches him and bears down on Will, threatening to paralyze him. He pulls out his gun, but Dolarhyde takes it from him and throws it over the bluff.

With a cry Will pulls the knife from his face and stabs Dolarhyde in the leg. But it’s almost like the man is immune to the pain as he pulls it out and slams it into his shoulder, pulling at Will to try and snap his back. But before he is able to Hannibal is jumping onto his back. Will watches as Hannibal tries to snap his neck but can’t quite do it. They stumble backwards and Dolarhyde is scrambling to get ahold of Hannibal.

When he does, he throws Hannibal to the ground like a fly to be swatted. He rolls towards a pile of wood. Will pulls the knife from his shoulder and can feel the blood begin to well as it leaves his body with a sickening squelch.

He stabs Dolarhyde in the back again and again. He roars in pain and turns to Will. Then suddenly he is falling to one leg. Hannibal has swung a hatchet into his legs, severing his Achilles tendon and knee ligaments. 

The man is breathing heavily and Will watches him for long moments. Hannibal’s eyes are on him and he has never seen anyone look at him like that. 

Then he struggles to his feet. Hannibal jumps on his back and Dolarhyde staggers. He is too slow to stop Will’s next move. Instead he looks down where Will has sunk the knife into his gut. Will jerks the blade across and blood sprays from him onto Will as he bucks and arches. Hannibal bites into his neck and tears, flesh and blood coming loose as he tears through the jugular.

Finally Dolarhyde falls to the floor, blood pouring from him that looks like two wings stretching out from his back. 

Will is looking at the blood dripping from his face and shoulder. It’s so mesmerising to watch it flow even as it weakens them. 

“It really does look black in the moonlight.”

Hannibal pulls him to his feet, hands holding him steady. “See. This is all I ever wanted for you, Will. For both of us.”

He looks over at their first shared kill and Will says, “It’s beautiful.”

Will can feel his chest heaving as he looks at Hannibal. This man that he has loved for so long even as he tried to distance himself from him. He steps into Hannibal’s embrace, resting his uninjured cheek on his chest and Hannibal sighs with a shuddering breath, his face nuzzling into the other man's shoulder. His arms pulls Will closer until they are pressed flush against each other, and all Will can feel is the heat of Hannibal’s body against his own. Will lifts his arm as much as he can to pull Hannibal even closer.

He just stops thinking; nothing else is important but this. So he tips them over the bluff to the watery depths below.

***

They are settled in a small house in the South of France. There is no one around them for miles. A small farm backs onto their house where Hannibal insists they grow ingredients. Will had laughed at the image of Hannibal farming at first. Hannibal had encouraged Will to get involved and now Will does most of the work on the farm.

Hannibal loves watching Will work outside, his skin browning in the sun as he works. He looks happy and relaxed for the first time ever. Hannibal calls for Will, as he has finished making them lunch. Will comes into the house with a smile and takes the glass of water Hannibal hands him with a smile.

He inhales Will greedily. In the months since they have escaped Hannibal has managed to persuade him to stop using the horrible cologne he so favors. Instead he wears nothing and Hannibal loves being able to smell just Will. Will steps into his loose embrace and Hannibal nuzzles into the crook of his neck to get right to the source of him.

Will laughs as his stomach growls so loudly Hannibal can feel it. “Lunch it is.”

Hannibal pulls him into the dining room and grabs a seat for Will. When he is sat down Hannibal presses a kiss to the top of his head and Will hums in pleasure. He sits down next to Will and begins eating. He has made a simple Soupe au Pistou for them both using the first of their crop. Will moans around his first sip and Hannibal feels a flash a heat in his stomach.

“I think we’ll have another batch of tomatoes ready soon,” Will says after a moment. “Although I think that it might be a while before the strawberries are ready.”

“Once they are I can make a tart.”

“That will be good,” Will says with a relaxed smile. His smile now is a little crooked: the scar pulls at his cheeks, but Hannibal thinks he has never looked more beautiful than that moment. “The sunflowers will be ready soon too.”

Hannibal smiles. They had made a choice that they would plant as many of the flowers they could that had brought them together. 

He takes a sip of his water and says, “I miss it sometimes.”

“Hmm?” Will hums.

“Being able to see you and myself through the flowers. It was like a whole other avenue was open to us.”

“If it hadn’t been able to kill us I would have liked for it to go on longer.”

“Me too.” Hannibal says.

Will finishes his food and then rises to take their plates back to the kitchen to wash up.

Hannibal stays sitting for a moment. He realizes then that he misses the flowers also as a physical representation of their love for one another. Will isn’t shy with his touches when Hannibal initiates them, stepping easily into his embrace and accepting kisses to his face. But Hannibal wonders why Will never initiates anything. It feels a little like they have fallen into this strange routine of dancing just around each other.

He follows Will into the kitchen and embraces him from behind. Will relaxes into him and sighs in happiness. “This is nice,” Will says. Hannibal can hear the smile in his voice.

“I have to go to the market. Did you want to accompany me?”

“Won’t we be too recognizable going somewhere together?” Will sounds a little panicked. 

“I don’t believe so. But of course if you feel more comfortable here then I will go alone.”

Hannibal steps back, suppressing a sigh. “Well, I’ll leave now then.”

“See you soon, Hannibal.”

“I’ll be an hour, two tops,  mylimasis.”

Will hums and busies himself with the dishes and Hannibal walks out of the house to the car. It’s nothing like the Bentley he used to drive but it serves a purpose.

He drives until he reaches the nearest town and parks close to the market. The market is beautiful, awash with colors and people going about their business. He manages to find the ingredients he needs. Conversing in French makes him feel like being back in Paris with his aunt, and her telling him all about her great love for his uncle. Hannibal imagines being with his aunt now and telling her all about Will.

He is nearly at his car when he spots her. She is in a box on the side of the street. A sign reads, “free to a good home.” He doesn’t know why but he approaches and picks her up out of the box. She is a tiny, little thing, squirming in his arms to lick at his face. Her fur is a little matted, but Hannibal is sure that Will knows how to help her. A lady from the market approaches him. “Do you need anything for her?”

Hannibal wants to say no but he doesn’t really know what a dog needs aside from food and exercise. “I think so.”

“First time owner?”

“I am but my partner isn’t.”

“A surprise then?”

Hannibal nods and the woman smiles. “Come with me.”

She leads him to a small store a little ways away. It looks to be a hardware store, but when they enter Hannibal can see that it carries almost everything. The pup is mouthing at his fingers and he strokes a finger down her back. 

The woman loads up a basket with items and Hannibal barely pays any attention to what it is. He knows that if Will isn’t happy with any of it he will find something else.

Then she hands the basket to the cashier who looks at the pup in his arms and then at the basket. “I’m glad someone’s picked her. I was worried that she would die otherwise.”

“You didn’t want her?” Hannibal asks. Somehow the thought of no one picking her makes him angry.

“We’ve got two already and they don’t interact well with others.”

That Hannibal can understand. He pays for the items and then hooks the bag on one of his fingers along with all his other purchases and thanks the woman and the cashier.

In his car he places the pup on the seat next to him and drives home with a hand on her the entire time. She falls asleep almost as soon as he arrives at their home.

Carefully he lifts her into his arm and then takes the shopping bag. He knows that Will will have been listening for the car to come back. He always does. Being apart is so difficult now. And Will is afraid that Hannibal will be captured when he ventures amongst people.

Will comes striding to the front of the house, his shirt tucked into the waistband of his jeans. The smile of his stomach has faded but Hannibal’s eyes are always drawn to it.

He stops in his tracks when he sees the pup in Hannibal's arms. His face breaks into a smile and then he is running towards Hannibal. When he is a foot away his eyes are whipping between them. “How? Where? Why?”

“I found her in a box at the market and she was the only one left.” 

Will is grinning. “That doesn’t explain why though.”

“I don’t even know. But I couldn’t just leave her.”

“She’s beautiful,” Will whispers in awe.

Hannibal hands over the pup and Will cradles her to his chest, smiling down at her the entire time. 

“She’ll need a name,” Hannibal says after a pause. Seeing Will smile down at the pup makes his heart feel fond. He had told the truth all that time ago on the bluff; his compassion for Will is inconvenient because he will do anything to see Will happy.

“Any ideas?”

Hannibal considers the pup. She has pale, cream fur, and then to his surprise he says, “Mischa.”

Will looks up at him and there are tears in his eyes. “Oh, Hannibal.” He whispers.

Then he steps forward until their arms brush and he leans forward to press a kiss against Hannibal’s lips. The kiss is so brief that it is over before Hannibal even fully realizes it.

Then Will grabs one of the shopping bags and pulls at Hannibal’s arm to take him inside. Hannibal follows, a little dumbfounded. He isn’t sure what it is that has Will reacting this way, but he follows happily.

Once inside Will places the pup on the floor. She pads forward sniffing at everything before sitting down in front of Will’s feet and whining.

“Do you need to go, Mischa?” Will asks and she jumps to her feet. Will picks her up again and walks her out of the house to their backyard. He had set the bags down on the floor and Hannibal takes them to the kitchen and stows away the groceries.

After a few minutes Will returns and looks through the bag of dog supplies. Mischa is sleeping cradled in his arms. He hums as he picks up the collar he selected and the small dog bed.

“She’ll grow out of this.”

“How can you tell?”

“Her paws are huge. She’ll be a big dog.” 

Hannibal had noticed that but he hadn’t thought much of it. “We can get another.”

“We will,” Will says with a smile. He turns. “Thank you, Hannibal.”

“There is nothing to thank me for.”

“Even so. You gave me another gift.”

“I hope this one you’ll keep.”

“I kept all of them.”

Hannibal almost wants to laugh, it’s true in a way. Will is decorated with his gifts. Hannibal brushes a thumb over the scar on his forehead. Will nuzzles into it. He presses a kiss to the palm of Hannibal’s hand.

“Let me put her down,” Will says after lingering there for a moment. 

He feels a little like a dog as he follows Will into the living room where he puts down the dog bed and then places the sleeping pup inside.

“Will she be alright?”

“She will. I think she’ll probably nap for a couple of hours.”

“And then?” 

“Judging by her age, she’ll likely need to go outside again.” Will chuckles. “Puppies are a lot like babies.”

Will turns to Hannibal and takes one of his hands. “Looks like you gave me a child in the end.”

“One I will never take away.”

“No you won’t.” Will says it so forcefully that Hannibal knows that he would never survive Will’s wrath. He has no desire to take her from Will. In spite of himself he already is incredibly fond of the pup.

“I miss the flowers,” Will says as he squeezes Hannibal’s hand. “You said you did too. Why?”

“Because it was our love made physical.”

“Oh, Hannibal,” Will says quietly and leans forward until his forehead is resting against Hannibal’s. “I love you. I suppose I always have and I always will.”

Hannibal takes Will’s face in his hands and kisses him. Will gasps into the kiss, and Hannibal uses the opportunity to gain entry to his mouth. He traces his tongue over Will’s teeth. He tastes like tart strawberries. 

He pushes Will towards his bedroom and Will goes with a smile. Hannibal can’t help it; he is smiling too. Will opens the door to Hannibal’s room and walks backwards until his knees hit the bed and he sinks into it. Hannibal leans down to kiss him again; he needs to have his hands and mouth on Will.

Will pulls Hannibal down onto the bed on top of him. He groans as he settles. Hannibal can feel he is hard against his hip, and he feels completely dizzy on Will. Hannibal moves to straddle Will’s hips and runs his hands down Will’s chest, thumbing at his nipples that harden to peaks under his thumbs. 

Beneath him Will moans and rolls his hips. “I didn’t know.”

“Know what, my darling boy?”

“That your hands would feel this good.” Will leans upwards to kiss him and Hannibal fists a hand in his hair and pulls. Will groans into the kiss. 

“Fuck,” Will grinds out when they break apart.

“We’re getting to that.”

“Please,” Will whispers, tears in his eyes. Hannibal kisses them away.

“Shhh.” Hannibal hushes him and pushes him onto the bed. He takes off his shirt and Will looks at his chest, buries a hand in the hair there and scratches lightly. Hannibal grinds his hip down and Will gasps. 

He stands up and Will pouts at the loss. Hannibal leans down to kiss it away. He takes off his pants and his underwear until he is completely bare. Will is looking at him with hunger in his eyes, his cock twitching under Will’s scrutiny.

Will is biting his lips as he palms himself, but Hannibal pulls his hands away. “Let me.”

He unbuttons Will’s pants and pulls them down his hips. Will lifts slightly to help him get out of them. Will’s boxers are darkening at the head of his cock. Hannibal knows then that Will wants this as much as he does. 

Once he pulls off Will’s underwear he throws them aside, for once unconcerned about the mess on his floor. The man in front of him is more important than anything else. Hannibal strokes Will once, pre-come making the slide easy, and Will bucks his hips seeking the friction. Hannibal picks up Will by his shoulders and then maneuvers him to lie in the center of his bed. He looks resplendent, like a Botticelli against wine colored sheets. His chest is flushed and heaving with deep breaths. All Hannibal can smell is Will and himself together. 

He climbs up the bed to lie on top of Will, content for a moment to just grind lazily against him, occasionally pressing kisses against Will’s lips and neck. Will is making noises that sound like music to his ears. Hannibal learns the places on the other man's neck that have him shuddering in pleasure. Teeth teasing against his adam’s apple has Will bucking his hips upwards. 

Slowly Hannibal kisses his way down Will’s chest. He takes one nipple between his teeth and tugs and Will whines, his hands coming up to run his fingers through Hannibal’s hair. He seems to be holding on for dear life. 

He makes his way further down Will’s body. He presses a kiss to the head of Will’s cock and Will makes a strangled noise that sounds almost like Hannibal’s name. But Hannibal ignores the place that he knows Will wants him to concentrate on to kiss down further. Will is writhing on the bed under his attention. 

Then Hannibal licks over his hole and Will closes his legs which Hannibal pushes at so they lay spread against the covers. One hand stays on Will’s leg to keep them spread as he lathes at the muscle with his tongue, feeling it soften beneath. Will is turning his head against the covers, his hair brushing against the fabric. It only adds to the beautiful noises that he is able to draw from Will. He is panting and Hannibal has to squeeze his cock to try and relieve some of the arousal that is pooling in his stomach.

“Hannibal, please.” Will is begging so beautifully, so Hannibal crawls over him to reach the nightstand. He almost pulls out the drawer completely in his haste to find the lube there.

He sits back on his heels between Will’s legs. “Do you want this?”

“I want something other than your knife inside of me. So yes, Hannibal I am absolutely sure.”

“Good.”

Hannibal slicks up one hand and wraps a fist around Will’s cock, stroking twice. Will fucks up into the tunnel of his fist with each stroke. Then Hannibal trails the hand downwards to his hole. Carefully Hannibal pushes a finger inside of him to the first knuckle. Will is blistering hot on the inside. Will makes a sound as he fists a hand in his hair and the other in the sheets. Hannibal twists his finger until he is able to sink in further. 

Will’s moans pitch higher when he brushes over his prostate. “Do that again.” 

“As you command.”

Hannibal presses against the bundle of nerves and watches as a bead of pre-come slides down his cock. He touches the slit with his finger and Will whines. “Fuck, Hannibal, please. I need more.”

“What do you need?”

“I don’t know. Just more.”

Hannibal pulls his finger out and covers his fingers with more lube to slick the way, pushing in with another. Will clenches around him and all he can think about is being inside Will.

“I should have done this sooner.”

“You should have. I’ve had fantasies about your hands ever since you were in the back of that ambulance saving that man’s life.”

“Is that so?” Hannibal says as he presses against his prostate again.

“Fuck. Yes. Hannibal, please.”

“Just a moment, darling,” Hannibal shushes him again. He takes a deep breath. “Hands and knees might be more comfortable.”

“No.” Will is looking at him with a resolute countenance that sends a fissure of heat through Hannibal. “I want to see your face.”

Hannibal nods. He doesn’t think that he would have been able to not see Will’s face in the throes of pleasure.

He withdraws his fingers and spreads the remaining lube over his cock. The friction is nothing to what he imagines being inside Will will be like.

Hannibal slides his cock against Will’s hole, allowing it to catch a few times before he pushes in. Will is tight, and for a moment Hannibal thinks the noise that he makes is pain. But the way he shakes his head when Hannibal stops makes him think that Will is enjoying the side of pain.

“Don’t you dare stop.”

“I won’t,” Hannibal says as he buries himself in Will until his hips are flush against him. 

Will clenches around him and Hannibal has to breathe deeply to stop himself from coming. Hannibal grinds his hips and Will’s knuckles are white as they are clenched in the sheets. He stays where he is for awhile, revelling in being inside Will. It is a heady feeling knowing that Will is letting him. 

Then he draws back and thrusts forward. A sound is punched out of Will as he pushed up the bed with each thrust. Hannibal couldn’t stop now if he tried. After a few more thrusts Will’s hips move to meet each one of them.

They find a rhythm that feels like a constant push and pull between them, like so much of their relationship. It causes the arousal in his stomach to coil tighter and tighter. He wraps his hand around Will’s cock and pulls with each thrust.

Far too soon it feels like he is reaching a crest. He adds a twist at each upstroke. Will comes with a cry and the rhythmic clenching around him has Hannibal spilling deep inside Will with a final thrust. He collapses on top of Will and kisses him. Will winds his arms around him and holds him close. It is only when Will is wiping at the corners of his eyes that Hannibal realises he is crying.

“I am never leaving again,” Will says in the space between them. “Never again.”

“I know.” Hannibal is almost horrified that he is crying. But it feels like he has been carrying the fear that Will would never love him in this way for a long time.

“You’re the end, the end of the journey, and I would never change that journey because it led me here.”

Hannibal can only kiss him in answer. He slips out of Will and reluctantly he stands to fetch a wash cloth from the ensuite. When he returns he cleans Will up. He looks a little tired and Hannibal pulls the sheets to cover Will. 

“Rest. I’ll take Mischa out later.”

“Stay with me.”

Hannibal climbs into bed with Will and curls up behind him, one arm holding him close to his chest. He thinks that this indeed has been the perfect end to their journey.

THE END


End file.
